Starlink conducting tests in Romania to boost coverage of satellite internet coverage
Starlink, the satellite internet service operator run by Elon Musk, has been conducting tests in Romania for several months to see if a global standard governing the use of satellites can be relaxed.
Specifically, the tests aim to demonstrate that a rule dating from the 1990s, which technically limits new-generation, non-geostationary satellites like those operated by Starlink, can be relaxed without affecting the functionality of classic, geostationary satellites, according to information obtained by Profit.ro.
The regulation being experimentally targeted was developed and is enforced globally by the International Telecommunications Union, or ITU, a specialized IT&C agency of the UN. This regulation sets a specific limit on the power that low-orbit satellites can transmit to and from associated ground equipment, an indicator known as Equivalent Power Flux Density, or EPFD.
This limit restricts the speed and coverage area that satellite internet services like Starlink can offer. Its purpose is to protect geostationary satellites from interference that could disrupt their operations.
The Starlink tests in Romania have been conducted with the agreement and support of the National Authority for Communications Administration and Regulation, or ANCOM.
SpaceX, Starlink's parent company, has been lobbying for some time to increase the EPFD limit, arguing that it is unnecessarily low for its intended purpose. Recently, the company asked the US telecommunications regulator, the Federal Communications Commission, to relax the rule in the US without waiting for the ITU to change the international standards.
Until then, the company decided to go ahead with tests. As a result, Romania has become the first country in the world to conduct a study aimed at demonstrating that the EPFD limit can be significantly increased safely. Testing began in July, under ANCOM's supervision, and is scheduled to last six months at least.
If successful, the test will show that Starlink satellites can operate at up to eight times the capacity currently allowed by the ITU’s EPFD limit, while still protecting geostationary satellites. ANCOM intends to share the results with the ITU.
Starlink services have been authorized and available in Romania since March 2022.
(Photo source: Rokas Tenys | Dreamstime.com)
